Winterhawks chew up Thunderbirds: Seattle takes a 7-1 beating
By Callaghan Bluechel, edited by Charles Hamaker
Kent, WA – The Seattle Thunderbirds lost to the Portland Winterhawks 7-1 on Saturday, as the team was unable to control the puck up front or protect the house on defense. The visiting Winterhawks managed to get a whopping 60 shots on goal in this contest, 39 of those in the first two periods against starting Seattle goaltender Scott Ratzlaff and 21 against backup Spencer Michnik in the third. The defensive crumbling was evident for the Thunderbirds, especially in the first two periods, as despite several excellent saves from Ratzlaff, the quality of shots that Portland was able to get off meant that Ratzlaff ended the second period 33-for-39. Eric Alarie scored the lone goal for Seattle early in the third period, his thirteenth of the season. It’s been a tough stretch of hockey as of late for the Thunderbirds, going through an unforgiving stretch of the season that just so happens to run alongside the time of the year where they’re aiming to find a way back to the playoffs.
Portland Winterhawks defenseman and Seattle Kraken prospect Tyson Jugnauth, during the teams January 12th, 2024 game against the Seattle Thunderbirds at the accesso Showare Center. (Photos by Liz Wolter)
Thunderbirds slip early
The first period started very poorly for the Thunderbirds as within the first six minutes, the Winterhawks scored twice. The first of those two goals came two and a half minutes in, as Portland defenseman and Seattle Kraken prospect Tyson Jugnauth took a pass from left wing Tyson Yaremko, skated almost to the blue line, and shot it into the corner of the net. Portland scored their second goal with almost six minutes gone, as defenseman Carter Sotheran passed it to center Diego Buttazzoni, who came up fast to the crease on the left side and then tapped it in as Ratzlaff had been left out to dry by his defenseman. Just like that, the Winterhawks led, 2-0.
After the second goal, the Thunderbirds mostly got it together for the rest of the period but were still unable to score. The best chance for Seattle was a power play that started with almost ten and a half minutes gone, but the team’s shoddy puck control kept them from threatening as much as they could have. During the man advantage, the T-birds got a couple shots off up front, but then lost their cohesion in the face of Portland’s checking and so lost their cohesion.
Portland also had plenty of chances to widen their lead during the rest of the period, but the Winterhawks were held in check by Ratzlaff, who tightened up his game after the first Portland goal and couldn’t do much against their second. This was especially relevant in the last minute and a half of the period, as a Portland power play produced plenty of quality shots, all of which Ratzlaff kept out of the net. The period ended with a 2-0 Portland lead, which could’ve been much worse considering the Winterhawks man advantage. The big saves that Ratzlaff had made held the potential for the Thunderbirds to turn that momentum into a big push in the middle frame, but it wasn’t in the cards tonight.
Portland pulls away in second period
The Thunderbirds were already in a bad spot after the first period, with the opportunity to carry the momentum from Scott Ratzlaff’s big saves at the end of it, but the game slipped far out of their grasp in the second. Although Seattle began the period on the attack, with defenseman Jeremy Hanzel nearly scoring in the second minute, the tide quickly turned. With almost three minutes gone, Portland defenseman Luca Cagnoni hit a long shot that Ratzlaff blocked, but center Kyle McDonough took care of the rebound and sent it in, pushing the score to 3-0. This lead was expanded by Winterhawks center Gabe Klassen, who with a little over five minutes in, took advantage of some chaos in the net to punch in a fourth goal.
The next Winterhawks goal came after a giveaway. Nine minutes into the second period, Thunderbirds center and team captain Jordan Gustafson took the puck away from Portland in the neutral zone and brought it to the offensive zone. The T-birds got three good shots off in quick succession, but nothing came of them, and around halfway through the minute, the Winterhawks had a takeaway of their own. Within seconds, Portland right wing James Stefan had hit the net, bringing the deficit to 5-0. A minute and a half later, fellow Winterhawks right winger Ryan Miller scored again. Portland 6, Seattle 0 and this game was effectively over.
Just like the first period, Seattle had chances but was unable to score. In the second, it was Seattle’s turn to have a power play in the last two minutes, and just like Portland in the first, Seattle was unable to score despite very good chances. With about forty seconds left in the period, a jam in the net led to Winterhawks goalie Jan Špunar falling into the net, but unluckily for the T-birds, Gustafson was searching for the puck on the wrong side of the net, and the period ended without a Seattle goal.
Portland cruised to victory in the third period, as their lead was unassailable. Seattle took out starting goalie Scott Ratzlaff and sent Spencer Michnik out to complete the game. The period started out well for Seattle, as Thunderbirds got a power play early into the second minute, during which Eric Alarie hit a shot from near the left circle past Špunar.
It was far too little, far too late, however, and with a little over eight minutes gone, McDonough scored his second of the game for Portland. The score would remain unchanged for the rest of the game. Portland 7, Seattle 1.
Seattle Thunderbirds goaltender Scott Ratzlaff during the teams January 12th, 2024 win over the Portland Winterhawks at the accesso Showare Center. (Photos by Liz Wolter)
Quick notes
With this loss, the Thunderbirds fell to 17-26-2-0.
Seattle is last in the U.S. Division with 36 points.
The Tri-City Americans broke their losing streak on Saturday with a 6-3 win over the Spokane Chiefs (bringing their record to 18-27-2-1), meaning that the Thunderbirds are now three points out of second-to-last place.
The Portland Winterhawks, on the other hand, used this win to bring them to 33-12-2-1, which is good enough for 69 points and first place in the U.S. Division.
Eric Alarie’s goal was assisted by Jeremy Hanzel and Nico Myatovic.
Hanzel’s assist was his 100th in Western Hockey League play.
The Winterhawks Tyson Jugnauth, who scored Portland’s first goal of the game, is affiliated with the Seattle Kraken.
The Kraken picked Jugnauth in the third round of the 2022 NHL Draft.
The Winterhawks signed Jugnauth on December 7, 2023.
What’s next?
The Thunderbirds round out the homestand with a game against the Victoria Royals on Sunday, February 4. After that, they will go on the road to play against the Kamloops Blazers on February 7 before returning home to face the Vancouver Giants on February 9. Seattle will be looking to get back into the win column and will be looking to boost their odds to get into the last spots in the Western Hockey League’s playoffs, as the season begins to wind down. In looking ahead, the Thunderbirds will go on the road for two games after their contest against Vancouver before they will host their first ever Pride Night, on Wednesday, February, 14th against the Wenatchee Wild.
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